The teens disappeared into the second bedroom, and Anne asked, “How’s Bridget?”
“She’s okay.” Mark ran a hand through his hair, mussing it further. “She just took another round of pain meds, so…groggy and not entirely coherent. They got her fixed up though. Luckily, the break was clean and set well. Her other ankle isn’t even sprained, thank God.”
Gabe nodded. “I’m glad to hear that. I was worried.”
“Me too,” Anne added.
“She’s bruised from the shin down on that leg, but nothing serious. She can get around on her own with crutches, though I’m guessing she’ll spend the next day or two in bed.” Mark tilted his head, a wry smile curving his lips. “Then again, knowing Bridget, she’ll beat me out of bed in the morning.”
Anne shrugged demurely. “Girls are badass like that.”
The sounds of a squabble burst from the boys’ bedroom, then Bridget called out faintly to ask what was going on, and Mark winced. He looked to Anne. “I’m so sorry to ask, but would you sit with her while I get the boys settled?”
“Sure, no problem.”
Gabe noted he was not invited. Not that he blamed Mark. He wouldn’t want some other guy hanging around his bedroom for no reason.
Anne glanced at him, shrugging as if to say, “what can you do?”
Since he couldn’t outright ask her if he was invited to her cabin later, and he had no idea how long it’d take to wrestle the kids into bed, Gabe figured his chances of getting any tonight were dwindling to nil. Cock-blocking appeared to be the theme of the evening. Ah, well. There was always tomorrow night, if Anne was game.
He offered an easy smile. “Well, I’ll see you all in the morning. Have a good night.”
With that, he took himself off to the cabin he shared with a brand new crewmember. His usual roommate had taken the opportunity to spend the summer guiding in the Australian Outback with his new Aussie girlfriend, which meant Gabe was stuck with a wet behind the ears college grad. The guy was nice enough, but he worked in the kitchen and spent most of his time talking about how he wanted to be a real chef someday…or analyzing the hotness factor of various female crewmembers and passengers. Gabe mostly ignored him.
Maybe he could get some freelance programming in tonight. He had a new software application he was working on. It wasn’t as fun as what he’d hoped to be doing, but the evening wouldn’t be a total wash.
There was no one in the staff hallway, which was barer than the guest areas, the carpet less plush, the wall sconces less fancy. Anne was glad she didn’t see anyone, because she’d rather not explain why she’d wandered down this hall. It had taken her over an hour to escape the rambling, slightly drugged Bridget and her never-going-to-bed kids. Then she’d run into Gabe’s parents getting ice once she’d left the cabin. After Anne offered a quick rundown of the evening, Peggy had given her a speculative glance and told her which room was Gabe’s. Then the older woman had grinned, shot Anne a little wink, and grabbed Vince to drag him off to bed. Anne had debated all of thirty seconds before she went in search of Gabe. She wasn’t sleeping anyway after her nap during the movie, so she was hoping he was as wide-awake as she was. Maybe they could wear each other out.
She knocked on his door and waited. Only a few seconds passed before it swung open. She smiled. “Hey, I was think—”
It wasn’t Gabe. It was some fresh college kid. His eyes lit up like it was Christmas, and his shocked delight soon turned to a leering grin. He propped his forearm against the doorjamb and leaned toward her. “Hey, yourself.”
Anne bit back a chortle. He seemed to have taken lessons on his smolder from a cartoon character. The cartoon did it better.
Okay. She cleared her throat. Nothing to do but bravado this out. She kept her tone cool and disinterested. “Sorry, I’m looking for Gabe. Which room is his?”
The kid’s grin fell away and he straightened. “Oh. Yeah, this is his room. Staff members bunk in twos.”
Fantastic. That wasn’t the least bit awkward. “May I speak to him, please?”
“Sure.” He shoveled his hair off his forehead. “Come on in.”
He walked away, gestured vaguely to something inside the room, and then there was the squeak of springs as he flopped on a bed. Anne leaned in to see if Gabe really was there. She didn’t think the kid was lying, but she also didn’t want to stroll into some strange guy’s room.
Gabe was hunched over a laptop at a miniscule desk, the cord from a pair of earbuds trailing down his chest. She could hear the faint pounding of rock music. Well, that explained why he hadn’t heard her talking to his roommate. He was intently focused on whatever he was doing, which seemed to involve a bunch of numbers and symbols scrolling by rapidly on his screen. He typed a few things, and then more symbols flew by. She stepped up behind him and tugged a short curl at the nape of his hair. If the kid had left, she might have tried a more lascivious way to get Gabe’s attention, but they weren’t alone.
He jolted, yanked the earbuds out, and twisted to look back. “Anne.”
“Gabe.”
He blinked, his eyes bloodshot. From tiredness or staring at the computer screen? He shook his head. “What are you doing here?”
Well, that was a less than enthusiastic greeting. She felt like an ass for having come. Something constricted in her chest, and she felt a dart of pain. Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she spun for the door. “I honestly don’t know.”
She got maybe two steps down the hall when his hand closed around her arm and pulled her back around.
“Hey, wait. Where are you going?” His palms lifted to cup her face. “What’s wrong?”
“Not a thing.” She could fight his hold and try to escape, but the drama would just prolong the experience. At this point, she wanted to leave as quickly and quietly as possible. She pinned her gaze to his collarbone. “I just thought you’d be happier to see me. I didn’t mean to interrupt…whatever you were doing.”
“Coding.” His thumbs stroked over her cheekbones, and a little spark sizzled through her. Annoying, at the moment. He gave her a lopsided smile. “Sorry, when I immerse myself in it, it’s hard to come back to the real world. You surprised me. I didn’t mean to make you feel unwelcome.”
“Your roomie tried to make me feel very welcome.” Because that little surprise hadn’t made this any more fun. Then again, maybe she should have figured out that staff shared rooms. Most of the passengers did. And she felt like an even bigger ass for not thinking this through.
“What did he say?” His expression darkened.
She shrugged. “Nothing inappropriate, just practiced his leer on me.”
A little growl erupted from him, but then he snorted. “I’d offer to kick his ass, but let’s be honest, if he needed a beat down, you’re more than capable of delivering it.”
Well, at least one of them wasn’t an idiot. She managed a small grin. “True.”
Examining her face for God knew what, he finally asked, “Want to go for a walk on deck?”
Hesitating for a moment, she twisted her lips together. She should just call it a wash and head for bed. Reading a book or uploading some photos for her sisters and friends would have been a lot gentler on her ego.
“Please?” He leaned his forehead against hers, his green gaze beseeching. “Don’t leave.”
Wow, he was good at the pleading. And having his body heat surrounding her made her belly quiver. “Okay. I guess I could do a walk.”
His smile was brilliant. “Great. Give me two seconds to grab a jacket and save what I was working on.”
“Fine. I’ll meet you on deck.” This had already been awkward enough, so she had no desire to stand there and be gawked at or questioned by any staff who walked by. Plus, the leering roomie wasn’t someone she felt the need to revisit. She slipped away and jogged up the stairs.
A chill bree
ze ruffled her hair and flattened her pullover against her chest as soon as she made it outside. Propping her elbows on the railing, she watched the dark water below swirl around the boat and waited for him.
Strong arms wrapped around her from behind, the scent of Gabe infused the air, and his warmth enveloped her. “Sorry about that. Again.”
“No problem.” Because it shouldn’t matter that he hadn’t been excited to see her. They’d had one session of shagging and a little petting and cuddling. That was all. It wasn’t a commitment for more. She had no reason to be upset or hurt. She wasn’t upset. Or hurt. At all. Of course not.
He brushed his lips over her nape. “God, you smell good. You feel good. I’m glad you came to my room. I didn’t know when you’d be done with Bridget, if you were still tired since you crashed during the movie, or if you even wanted to see me again today. So I decided to keep myself busy, but I’ve never had a more welcome interruption.”
Well, that was nice. A bit of balm to the pride. Not that she needed it, because she did not. If they continued to sleep together during this trip, there were no emotional strings attached. She’d managed affairs like that before. Sometimes you just needed some play without a relationship on top of it. With her mother and sisters as part of her package deal—and several men who’d run screaming from them—she hadn’t always wanted anything other than a little sexual stress relief from a guy. Hooking up on a cruise could only be about sex. That heart-constricting ache in her chest couldn’t happen again. Ever.
She cleared her throat. “What were you coding?”
“Software.” He nuzzled into the side of throat. “I do a bit of programming on the side. It’s what I used to do before.”
“You quit being a programmer to become a guide?” That was a surprise, even though she’d seen him coding with her own eyes.
“Yep.” He nipped at her earlobe, and warmth poured through her, making her toes curl. His voice rumbled in her ear. “Got tired of the workaholic lifestyle.”
“Ah.” So he’d left a stable job to become an outdoor vagabond. It wasn’t because he’d had no other options. He didn’t want to have a normal profession. Yeah, there really was no chance for more than sex between them. He was a male version of her mother. She stiffened as that truth slapped her in the face like a wave of frigid seawater, though it did little to cool her ardor.
“You don’t like my choice of profession, do you?” He paused, leaning back a bit, but not letting her go.
She shrugged. “Your life choices have nothing to do with me, Warren. I’m just a passenger along on this cruise, nothing more.”
He was silent for a long moment. “So I shouldn’t ask for your number?”
A laugh straggled out of her. She felt like an idiot for the way her heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t meant anything by it—it was just a joke. She infused a note of teasing into her tone. “You’re into sexting, huh?”
“With you? I think I’d be in to just about everything.” The words were dead serious, and she didn’t quite know what to make of that.
“Everything, really?” She kept her voice light. “Should we talk about that whole Fifty Shades thing again?”
“You want to spank me?” His arms tightened around her waist, pulling her ass into his hips. She felt the thick length of his cock, and the warmth within her burned to something hotter and far more dangerous. Her nipples peaked and it had nothing to do with the chill breeze and everything to do with desire. Her hands moved back to grip the outsides of his muscular thighs and she rubbed herself into his erection, making him groan softly.
She grinned at the power that rushed through her. God, but she wanted his hands on her skin. “At this point, I wouldn’t mind some good old-fashioned, full-penetration missionary.”
Another low groan. “Yes, please.”
She glanced back. He offered up the kind of smoldering look his roommate could only dream of. It made her knees weaken and lust sluice through her.
“Tell me you grabbed condoms when you went to get your jacket.”
He offered her that pirate’s smile. “How about I let you strip-search me, and if I don’t have any, you can spank me for it.”
Sounded good to her. “You’re on.”
Chapter Five
Since Gabe had to go to some kind of staff meeting, Anne was on her own the next morning, and she decided to indulge in the rare luxury of sleeping in. Mellowness steeped through her, and she felt deliciously boneless, so she rolled over and passed back out after he left. She was only just starting to surface from slumber when her cell phone rang. Groaning, she grabbed it and pushed the answer button. “Yeah?”
The word emerged a low croak, and she had to clear her throat twice.
Meg’s voice came through the line, concern coloring her tone. “Are you okay? You sound sick.”
“Gee, thanks,” Anne replied drily. “I was just grabbing an extra hour or two of sleep. I’m not ill.”
That didn’t alleviate Meg’s concern. If anything, she sounded more worried. “You never sleep in.”
True, but Anne had gotten less sleep the night before than normal. Because Gabe had brought several condoms with him and, of course, they just had to use them. She didn’t really feel the need to advertise that to anyone though. Not even one of her best friends. “I’m on vacation. I can sleep in if I want to.”
“Uh-huh.” Meg’s tone made it clear she was unconvinced, but she changed the subject anyway. “I was calling to ask how things are going. Are you getting your adrenaline on whenever you’re out of bed?”
Heh. Anne had been getting her adrenaline on when she was in bed, actually. Sitting up, she leaned back against the headboard. “It’s going well, aside from the spectacular fall of a lady who was hiking through a cave with me yesterday. She broke one leg and bruised the shit out of the other one.”
“Ouch.” Meg tsked sympathetically. “That’s the kind of adventure you don’t want.”
“Exactly. How’s the wedding prep?”
“Everything fine, actually. Finn’s here with me making wedding favors.” His tortured moan came through the line. A wry note entered Meg’s voice. “I haven’t gone bridezilla even once. Though Karen’s going to need her maid of honor gown let out a bit. I swear the kid likes to do handstands against her bellybutton.”
“The belly alien is rebelling against his confinement.” Anne made a creepy cooing sound, and her friend laughed, as expected.
“That one is going to hit the ground running.”
She cracked her knuckles. “Ah, babysitting duties are gonna be so much fun.”
“Right? I’m going to be an awesome auntie, though.” Meg was an only child, so she’d done a lot of babysitting and auntie duties for Anne’s sisters over the years. She really did have amazing friends. Without them, she might never have managed to finish college, or survived into her thirties with her sanity mostly intact.
“I know you will, Aunt Meg. No kid could ask for better.” Anne tossed back the covers and hopped out of bed. No time like the present to get ready for the day. If she hurried, she might actually make the last few minutes of breakfast service in the dining room. She could shower after she came back.
Meg hummed. “You’ve already had plenty of experience with the ones who hit the ground running, what with your little sisters.”
“They aren’t so little anymore, thank God.” She stepped into the bathroom and grabbed her toothbrush. “I’m going to get ready in your ear, just so you know.”
“No problem. It’s not like I haven’t seen you brush your teeth and hair before. Or seen you shower in a million high school gym classes. Not that I looked too closely, but still.” Meg paused for a moment. “Do you think you’ll ever want kids like Karen? Or did raising your sisters burn you out?”
A flash of a little girl with Gabe’s green eyes and her red hair flashed
through Anne’s mind, and she choked on the toothpaste. Whoa. That was weird. And needed to never, ever happen again. There would be no breeding with Gabe unless they had a birth control malfunction. Period. End of story. She rinsed her mouth to give herself time to come up with a normal response. “No, I’m not burned out. So…maybe I’d have some of my own. If I find the right guy. I know Karen was willing to do the sperm bank thing before she reconciled with Tate, but I’ve already done single-parenting. That part, I don’t want to do again if I don’t have to.”
“Fair enough.” Then Meg muttered, “Since your mom was like having a fourth child to raise.”
“Truer words, my friend, have never been spoken.” Anne ran a brush through her sex-mussed hair. It didn’t lay quite right, but oh well. It was just for breakfast. “I got to be the responsible sister-parent for years, so it’s going to be fun to play auntie. Noisy toys and candy, here we come.”
“You’re evil.”
Anne bounced into the bedroom and yanked on some clean clothes. “Yes, thank you. It’s so nice to have my efforts recognized.”
“I’m glad I can be there for you.” There was a short pause. “So…other than rescuing fall victims, what’s going on there? How did they wear you out to the point that you needed to sleep in? Did you hook up with a hot guy and have wild all-night-long sex or something?”
Anne froze. For perhaps the first time in her life, she didn’t want to tell her best friends everything. She didn’t even know why, but something in her chest felt odd and quivery and far too vulnerable to discuss yet. Which was just weird, since this was an affair with even fewer strings attached than normal. Gabe was an onboard fuck-buddy, nothing more. She should be singing his sexy praises to the sky, regaling her friends with tales of their exploits.
She didn’t want to.
Licking her suddenly dry lips, she grabbed her room key card and said quickly, “You know, I should go. I’m going to miss the last of the breakfast service.”
Alaskan Adventure (Destination: Desire) Page 6